Butchery Apprentice

CRANSWICK COUNTRY FOODS (NORFOLK) LIMITED

Norfolk (IP25 6LW)

Closes in 31 days (Monday 10 August 2026 at 11:59pm)

Posted on 10 July 2026

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Summary

As a Butchery Apprentice, you will be trained and mentored by experienced in-house butchers, whilst completing your Level 2 qualification with M.E.A.T, a specialist butchery training provider. Your tutor at M.E.A.T will regularly visit you at Cranswick to check on your progress, as well as be available for support virtually.

• Wage:

  £23,920 a year

  Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

  Pension – 3% employer contributions/5% employee contributions

  Discounted local gym membership

  Death in service insurance

• Training course: Butcher (level 2)
• Hours: Monday to Friday 8am- 5pm

  40 hours a week

• Start date:

  Tuesday 1 September 2026

• Duration:

  1 year 3 months

• Positions available:

  3

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

• Learn to butcher and prepare different specifications of meat cuts
• Follow specifications to ensure the top quality of product
• Learn to handle knives and machinery safely and efficiently
• Adhere to Health, Safety and Food Hygiene regulations and best practises
• Develop a strong foundation to build a future career in Butchery

Where you'll work

Cranswick Country Foods
Brandon Road
Watton
Norfolk
IP25 6LW

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

MEAT EAST ANGLIA TRADES (IPSWICH) LIMITED

Training course

Butcher (level 2)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

• Comply with regulations and legislation relevant to their role and business.
• Maintains and sharpens knives and cutting equipment.
• Manual handling of carcases or primals through the manufacturing or butchery process.
• Adhere to the organisational policies and standard operating procedures.
• Maintain the meat product to the given customer specification and food safety compliance and traceability procedures in the meat supply chain.
• Support colleagues in delivering the daily workplace requirements.
• Use technology and applications to support production, sales, and customer service.
• Contribute to continuous improvement activities which focus on improving sustainability within the business.
• Communicate with customers and stakeholders to meet their requirements.
• Process and dispose of waste material.
• Uses knives and cutting equipment to undertake a range of primary and secondary butchery skills.
• Serve customers in line with brand standards.
• Advise customers on the use by dates, storage, preparation, and cooking of meat products.
• Prepare, produce, and display meat products such as joints, portions, sausages, burgers, value-added products and offer alternative products when required.
• Plan and prepare for seasonal supply and demand of meat products in the merchandising and promotion of seasonal foods.
• Provide provenance and heritage product information.
• Set up and close meat counter displays.
• Balance the customers’ needs with additional linked products and services such as marinades, and encourage customer loyalty and repeat business.
• Produce meat to the specific volume, size, and weight to meet the needs of stakeholders.
• Maximise the saleable yield for the business relating to carcases or primals.
• Contribute to efficiencies to support the key performance indicators (KPIs) of the business through working to agreed specifications for their role.
• Adhere to customer specifications and contracts.
• Contribute to foreign body control and metal detection.
• Meet key performance indicators within meat processing.
• Comply with regulations and legislation relevant to their role and business.
• Maintains and sharpens knives and cutting equipment.
• Manual handling of carcases or primals through the manufacturing or butchery process.
• Adhere to the organisational policies and standard operating procedures.
• Maintain the meat product to the given customer specification and food safety compliance and traceability procedures in the meat supply chain.
• Support colleagues in delivering the daily workplace requirements.
• Use technology and applications to support production, sales, and customer service.
• Contribute to continuous improvement activities which focus on improving sustainability within the business.
• Communicate with customers and stakeholders to meet their requirements.
• Process and dispose of waste material.
• Uses knives and cutting equipment to undertake a range of primary and secondary butchery skills.

Training schedule

• As a Butchery Apprentice, you will be trained and mentored by experienced in-house butchers, whilst completing your Level 2 qualification with M.E.A.T, a specialist butchery training provider
• Your tutor at M.E.A.T will regularly visit you at Cranswick to check on your progress, as well as be available for support virtually

Requirements

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

• Communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Team working

Other requirements

• Due to our location, you would need your own transport to reliably commute to work

About this employer

Cranswick Country Foods in Watton, Norfolk is serious about its quality pork products. Now we’re hungry for talented people to join us. It’s win win; you achieve your potential; we achieve our ambitious growth plans.

Company benefits

• Access to our ‘Feed your Wellbeing’ hub, offering a range of retail, restaurant and entertainment discounts and wellbeing support
• Additional holiday with length of service
• Excellent career progression opportunities

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).

• On successful completion of your apprenticeship, you would continue working and developing your skills within our butchery department

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

CRANSWICK COUNTRY FOODS (NORFOLK) LIMITED

Daniel Buzzard

Daniel.Buzzard@Cranswick.co.uk

07425661607

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000041913.

Apply now

Closes in 31 days (Monday 10 August 2026 at 11:59pm)